MEET YOUR FELLOW PIGGYBACKER: Designer Journals

Designer Journals—

Custom Journals, NYC.

"I think that no matter how much we embrace technology,
and increasingly use it to perform the functions of our
jobs and passions, that all human beings benefit from
the simple exercise of writing and drawing by hand. It
touches another part of us inside, slows down the
pace of life momentarily, and allows us to access
feelings and thoughts important to developing our
creative selves and true uniqueness. It is this
documentation of our thoughts, ideas, dreams and
visions that have created history itself. It is a
process that can help guide us toward our best
personal and collective futures." -Karl Heine
BEHIND THE JOURNAL WITH KARL HEINEIt was my Grandmother who inspired me to create
DesignerJournals. She was a consummate adventurer
and documented all of her experiences. I found
this out simply by being a passenger on her travels —
not a passenger by any particular means — but as a
guest on her adventures in the filtering light of
my youth. When I was young — my grandmother invited me
on journeys to what I consider some of the most
interesting and exciting places in the world —
all of them in Manhattan. We went to places like
the Empire State Building, the circus, the Museum
of Natural History, a television game show, and
the premiere of the film The Yellow Submarine.When we returned to her home after each adventure,
she would take out her journal and write about the
day's events. One evening, I noticed a box filled
with envelopes and a collection of letters, journals,
and small photo albums — my curiosity was piqued! We
spent the next several hours discussing family history.
She gave me a few envelopes from the 1920s plus a nickel
letter opener with my late grandfather's initials,
shaped like the key of Bremen with a hand-cut heart.
My fascination led me to be the collector and keeper
of our family's history, and to document all of my
new adventures.
Later in life, when working toward my design degree at
the University of Bridgeport, we were asked to keep a
journal to develop our ideas. I kept my journal with me
and whenever the mood would strike, I'd write and draw.
I filled many books. Then, after a considerable hiatus,
I returned to journaling to sketch out my new office
environment, and to concept a line of art lighting I
launched in 2000.
Over the course of my extensive travels as a guest
lecturer at some of the country's top art and design
schools, I noticed that many students were obsessively
writing and drawing in all kinds of notebooks — not to
take lecture notes — but out of the necessity and passion
of keeping a record of ideas, sketches, and doodles. In
early 2008, after researching and experimenting with the
best eco-friendly materials I could find, I began
distributing complimentary DesignerJournal™ prototypes
to students, faculty and design professionals to test
the concept. They were a smash hit with design students
and creative professionals at all levels. So, I decided
to produce bigger batches of Designer Journals™ and make
them available to the world at large.
I think that no matter how much we embrace technology,
and increasingly use it to perform the functions of our
jobs and passions, that all human beings benefit from the
simple exercise of writing and drawing by hand. It touches
another part of us inside, slows down the pace of life
momentarily, and allows us to access feelings and thoughts
important to developing our creative selves and true uniqueness.
It is this documentation of our thoughts, ideas, dreams and
visions that have created history itself. It is a process that
can help guide us toward our best personal and collective futures.
Thanks to my true love kHyal, for an explosion of creativity and
the support and encouragement to make Designer Journals happen.